The Blind are Leading the Blind
by Otorisosa-kan
Summary: Stalking someone? Creepy. Stalking an underage girl? Creepier. Stalking an underage girl who is blind and poor? You'd have to be insane to target such a vulnerable person. Alternate Universe, contains upsetting themes, read with caution.
1. Chapter 1

She was so beautiful, so stunningly beautiful. And it was just so easy. To sit in the bench right in front of her and watch as she waited for her dog to return to her. To sketch her perfect image and not cause any suspicion from her. To follow her home and take his usual hotel room where he had a perfect view of watching her from the apartment she and her sister lived in. To watch her wherever she went and never ever get caught. She will never notice him which both pained and relieved him. She will not acknowledge his presence even if he came and sat down beside her. The reason being was that his beautiful princess was blind. Sephiroth smirked happily as he glanced up from his sketchpad to take in Anne's image.

It all began five years ago when he bumped into her on the street by accident. She was only ten years old, endearing and charming. Her guide dog helped her up to her feet when he accidentally knocked her over. Even though it had been his fault, she apologized to him. She looked adorable in the summer dress she had been wearing for that particularly hot day and Sephiroth knew she was blind by the way her red eyes weren't looking directly at him. They were fixed more onto his chest as she didn't realise how tall he was. It looked so enchanting. And if that didn't clue him in on her disability, the fact that her guide dog tugged her along to reunite her with her family should have told him everything. Sephiroth felt transfixed, as if she had cast a spell on him to make sure he would forever remember and obsess over her.

He found out the next day that he couldn't stop thinking about her. How delicate she looked on appearance alone and the way she smiled apologetically. By the time he had managed to get rid of these unwanted thoughts, he saw her again, as if fate had bound them since their very first meeting. She was doing a talk to a group of younger children outside a nursery with her parents. She didn't go to school, she had a special tutor at home who taught her how to read using braille. She often went around to have talks about being blind because she had enough time. Sephiroth couldn't help himself, he had to get to know her. Or else he would forever be tormented by the mere image of her. She would always be there to haunt him at the back of his mind and he would want nothing more than to catch and keep her, like a bug collector capturing a rare and beautiful butterfly. Though Sephiroth would rather catch her then nurture her rather than killing and putting her up on display.

So ever since, he'd been following her, getting to know her daily routine and constantly taking photos and sketching her. She was so beautiful, like a princess or an angel. A fallen angel, that's what she must be. So innocent when she was just a mere child and so vulnerable and now she was just so beautiful whilst she was maturing. It was obsessive but Sephiroth couldn't care less. It didn't affect his work at all, in fact it helped him a lot. He was a fashion designer, specialising in female clothes. He nearly always used his angel as a model and inspiration for new looks. He worked on designs for casual and formal clothes for everyday life, clothes for dolls and on the rare occasion was called to help design costumes for TV shows and theatres. Sephiroth had countless of pages of images of her in so many different outfits. The moment after he would draw her figure, the designs just drew themselves. Sephiroth's sketches ranged from Anne in simple underwear to fully detailed ball gowns. He even threw in a few jewellery designs if the mood ever struck him.

The city clock nearby struck five, much to Sephiroth's dismay, because that was the signal that his precious princess had to leave the park with her dog and meet her _friends_. Sephiroth didn't conceal his contempt as he thought about them. Her _friends _were four local boys who were all three years older than her. Sephiroth didn't like them at all. They knew her because she had been assaulted by a hit and run mugger when she was walking home one day. Her dog chased after him and he himself was about to rush to her aid when the boys on the other side of the street beat him to it. Two of them helped her up while the other two caught up with the mugger to stop him. She looked so afraid when that happened and Sephiroth couldn't help but wish to bring her into his arms and soothe her. That had happened last year, after she and her sister had gotten out of the orphanage.

Sephiroth remembered that day well. She and her older sister were dressed in black, looking rather glum. Their parents had died in a horrible car accident three years ago. Sephiroth would have gone straight away to adopt his blind girl but after observing them, the elder sister refused to be separated from her. If anyone was going to adopt one, they'd have to adopt the other. That would have been a problem for Sephiroth because that girl was overprotective. If he had adopted his blind girl with her, she would have noticed his obsession straight away. He didn't want to risk it so he left them alone. As soon as the elder sister turned eighteen two years later, she took her little sister and left the orphanage after getting a job at a local bar and managing to scrape enough money to afford a small apartment by selling most of their possessions. That was when Sephiroth began sending his princess money. The girls were confused at first but they didn't look a gift horse in the mouth. They were desperate and couldn't afford to question anything. Sephiroth was simply happy enough to help his beautiful princess. It put his mind at ease when he saw Anne coming out of the apartment in better made clothes and looking healthier.

"Good boy, Timber," Anne praised as Timber came along after running around and laid his head on her lap.

Sephiroth glared at that damn dog. He had never been so envious of such a shaggy mongrel before. He wanted to have his head in her lap and have her stroke him. The idea of her stroking his hair made him shudder. Sephiroth watched those tiny hands run through Timber's black fur and tickling his ears longingly. Such precious tiny hands…all wasting their affection on her guide dog. She'd had Timber for about three years now. The one before passed away from old age, Sephiroth remembered Anne crying when she heard the news. It was before the car accident her parents ended up in. Timber arrived on that day and Anne was so happy to be able to have a new companion.

"Let's go," Anne said as she gripped on Timber's lead and got up.

Timber barked and pulled her along down the pathway. Sephiroth got up and followed her to the café where she often met with the boys at five o'clock sharp. He couldn't help but smile slightly. She always stuck to a firm routine, it was simply adorable. He knew it was only because she was blind and it made things so much easier for her. Timber pushed the door open for her and Sephiroth heard a shout.

"It says no dogs allowed!" one of the customers said to a very startled Anne as Sephiroth came in.

"Yeah but look, mate," a tall boy with blue hair to his shoulders stood and placed a hand on Anne's shoulder, squeezing comfortingly "Guide dogs are allowed. Can you not tell that she's blind?"

Sephiroth watched the customer stare at Anne for a while before sitting back down.

"Sorry…" he muttered.

Sephiroth watched the boy smile at the man in a friendly manner.

"Good, I'm glad that's been sorted out," he said and led Anne to their usual booth.

"That was scary," Anne commented as she placed a hand on her heart.

"It's alright now," the boy with the silver hair next to her squeezed her arm comfortingly.

"You'd think someone like him would be able to read signs properly," the boy with black hair and red eyes sneered at the other customer.

"Timber, sit," Anne instructed her dog who nosed her knee.

Timber sat down under the table obediently and Cissnei, the waitress, came over with a bowl of water for him.

"Oh, he's such a good dog," she smiled happily as he began drinking "He looks so fluffy and cute! I could just cuddle him for the rest of my shift!"

"Ciss, don't touch it!" Reno barked from the kitchens "You have to serve food, remember? Get back to work before you catch his fleas!"

"He doesn't have fleas!" Anne called.

"Whatever."

"Tch, no respect for any kind of animal whatsoever."

Cissnei huffed again as she got back up to her feet and took out her pad and paper.

"Usual order?" she smiled.

"Yes please," a boy with black hair and silver eyes winked.

Cissnei blushed bashfully before jotting down their usual order.

"Ah, wait, could I have an iced mocha instead of a regular one?" Anne requested "It is a very hot day today…"

"Oh, of course," Cissnei smiled "Anything for our Anne."

She winked happily before going back to the kitchens to post the order up. Sephiroth took his place in his usual booth just opposite the others, narrowing his eyes at the boys that sat next to Anne. Sky, Asa, Erik and Luka, friends since childhood.

Sky, the chivalrous sportsman. He was the tallest of the group. He was rather naïve and oblivious like Anne, never realising that he was attracting attention from prying eyes by wearing clothes that were clearly a bit tight-fitting and showing off the evidence of the amount of time he put into exercise. Seriously, you could stare at his ass for about an hour in the most obvious way possible and he will not take a hint. Sephiroth didn't mind him much, he clearly was pretty stupid and Anne didn't seem to enjoy his conversations of sport. He talked about other things too, such as horses and his family. A kind, caring and sensitive soul, just what any girl would want in a boyfriend. It was such a pity that he lacked intelligence.

Asa, the charming magician. He always enjoys showing off his magic tricks and works as a children's entertainer for some extra pocket money. He was sweet, almost getting away with anything if he just flashed that delightful smile. Even though she always sat next to him, Sephiroth wondered if Anne liked Asa the least but still enjoyed his company enough to meet him every day. He often talked about other magicians, stunt ones in particular. He could go on for hours just describing how one trick worked and then wishfully thinking about mimicking it. Sephiroth hoped he would try a stunt magic trick so it would go horribly wrong and he will end up in hospital or better yet, the morgue. His voice just went on and on, it was so damn irritating.

Erik, the shy bookworm. He was the smallest of the group. Shy and withdrawn, Erik rarely spoke with the group. He enjoyed reading and Anne often told him of her stories. They often broke away from the group to discuss stories and sometimes even came up with their own story. Erik is also easy to startle, making him an easy target for Asa to pull something out of his ear and laugh at his moment of weakness. Sephiroth wasn't too bothered about Erik, he was too much of a coward to ever try to fight his own battles. If there was ever going to be a time to confront him, Erik would probably just flee, tail tucked into his legs. Sephiroth smirked at the thought.

Luka, the flirtatious actor. Sephiroth hated him the most. He seemed to take up flirting as a hobby. He had a rather large ego since his popularity increased due to the fact he's a teen stage actor. Normally charming Cissnei into giving the group discounts, leading other girls on just by giving them that irritating smirk that they seemed to like, it just got on Sephiroth's nerves. And he did not miss the way Luka would give Anne a quick, possibly lustful, look. That playboy, that damn playboy, he didn't deserve to be in such close proximity to his Anne. If he even thought about committing one filthy deed towards her, Sephiroth would make sure he would regret having ever been born.

All four of these boys seemed attracted to Anne as if she was a magnet. But Sephiroth knew that they all had girlfriends which disgusted him. Sky and Erik perhaps were unconsciously being affectionate. After all, Sky couldn't tell if a girl was flirting with him even if she asked for him to strip naked for her. Erik seemed to be the closest person to Anne and probably didn't even realise his affection for her. Luka and Asa on the other hand… Sephiroth nearly broke his pen from squeezing it too hard when he saw Asa playing with Anne's hair.

"Don't touch her, you're not worthy," he muttered under his breath.

His glare switched over to Luka who commented that Anne had some cream on her lips from her iced mocha. He breathed in deeply to calm himself as he observed Luka licking his thumb then stretching over to wipe Anne's lips clean. Could their advances be any more obvious? Sephiroth turned away from the group and focused on his current dress design. He smiled calmly as he gazed at Anne's smiling form before him before shading in another ribbon on the dress he was designing.

"Here you go, sir," Elena delivered him his usual black coffee "Anything else you'd like?"

"No, thank you," Sephiroth gave her a charming smile.

"So, uh…do you draw for fun, for classes or is it for a profession?"

Sephiroth eyed the blonde waitress warily before closing his sketchpad.

"It's for a profession," he said before picking his coffee up to sip it.

"Wow, I'd love to draw professionally," Elena smiled as she clutched the tray to her chest "Are you an artist then?"

"I design clothes," Sephiroth replied.

"Wow, really?" Elena grinned "Not a lot of art students around here go for fashion design. Well, except for me."

Sephiroth eyed her sceptically, placing his coffee down and wishing she would just leave already. When she continued staring at his sketchpad thoughtfully, he delved into his pocket.

"Here, ask him for work experience," he muttered "He's been looking for extra workers recently."

"Woah, _Rhapsodonian Fabrics_?!"

"Elena!" Tseng called from the kitchens,

"Ah, coming!" Elena turned and looked at Sephiroth with a star-eyed look before jogging off back to the kitchen to collect another order.

Sephiroth sighed tiredly as he picked up his coffee and sipped it as he got a few glances. Oh the joys to working for an elite clothes company. Sephiroth flipped open his sketchpad again to continue sketching Anne's dress, ignoring the star-eyed art students in the café.

* * *

"Anne, you messy girl, you've got cream all over on your chin now!" Luka laughed as Anne placed her iced mocha back down again.

"Here, I'll get it," Sky came to the rescue this time and used a napkin to wipe Anne's chin clean.

"Stop it, I feel like a baby," Anne said as she swatted at Sky's hand but missed, hitting poor Asa in the face.

"Ah!" Asa winced and Anne gasped in horror.

"I'm so sorry, Asa!" she said.

"I'm bleeding! I'm bleeding!" Asa proclaimed dramatically.

"No you're not, you wimp," Sky said "Stop making such a fuss."

"I'm so…sorry…" Anne squeaked and Asa chuckled, ruffling her hair.

"Don't worry about it. But seriously! You have a strong backhand."

"You would have made a good tennis player," Sky sighed.

"I still think it sounds boring," Anne frowned at the mention of tennis "I mean, you hit a ball and the person you're playing against hits it back, doesn't it get tedious?"

"Not when you see a trophy that you'd like to win," Sky replied "Trust me, if you play it, it's not just about hitting a ball back and forth."

Anne sighed sadly but she felt Erik's hand squeeze her shoulder comfortingly.

"It's alright, sport isn't all that great," he said timidly "Sky just over glorifies any kind of sport."

"Just because you can't even hit the tennis ball far enough to reach the net, Erik," Sky snickered.

Erik remained silent and Anne took his hand in hers. She felt it curiously, recognising how soft they were and the small bumps where his paper cuts were healing. They were a bit small too but not as small as hers. Anne wondered what Erik looked like. All she could pick up on was her sense of touch. Her hands wandered over to Erik's face and she cupped his soft cheeks. They grew warm under her touch and she tilted her head to the side curiously.

"Weren't you doing this yesterday?" she heard Asa ask.

"I just…" Anne said softly as she kept feeling Erik's face, his small nose and lips coming into her darkened mind as she imagined his face indent.

"Just let her be, Asa," Luka said.

Anne kept feeling Erik's face curiously. She could never understand what a person's face looked like. She won't ever know what a person's face looked like. She could feel Erik's face for all eternity and never have a full understanding on what he looked like. It simply fascinated her to just feel what other people looked like.

"Ah, careful," Erik said as her fingertips brushed his eyelids.

"Yeah, we don't want to have two blind people to take care of," Asa snickered and Anne felt Luka's leg pass her leg to kick Asa.

Anne giggled despite the pang in her chest and shrugged. She smiled sadly as she carefully brushed her thumbs over Erik's eyelashes

"I don't mind," she said as her fingers explored his eyebrows next "I've been blind all my life and I'll always will be. I should get used to it."

"Haven't any doctors recommended any operations for you to have?" Sky asked.

"My blindness is incurable, they said," Anne replied as she withdrew her hands from Erik's face "Otherwise, I'd have the operation done long ago."

"The world of medicine is still advancing," Asa said "Say, didn't Phoenix say the other day that they're working on bionic eye transplants?"

"That would cost about eight million Gil when they become available," Luka replied "Anne and Tifa don't have that kind of money, even with the anonymous donations."

"Well let's save up."

Everyone went silent as Erik spoke. Anne felt him shift.

"Well, you know, if it's something in the future that might be worth saving up for then I want to save money for Anne to have this operation. Just so she will be able to see our world."

"Erik, you spend most of your time studying, you won't be able to save up without a job," Luka said.

"I'll help out with my dad's restaurant then. Just to earn some money to save up."

"You know what?" Sky sighed "I'll chip in too. My parents own a riding school, I can help look after the horses to earn money."

"I don't earn very much," Asa spoke "But I'll make more of an effort to find jobs and perhaps find some other things to do too."

"Well I earn much more than you lot put together so I'll be the main provider of this little charity," Luka said smugly.

"Show off," Asa sneered "Anne, what's the matter?"

Anne sniffed and wiped her tears away, bringing her back to the centre of the boys' attention.

"You're all so kind, I just can't help it," she sobbed.

She couldn't describe it! She felt so…happy and so moved. They would all willingly put aside some money to save up for her to see. They had barely known her for a year and yet they would gladly give up their time to work and earn money for her.

"Aw, group hug," Luka proposed and Anne was suddenly wedged in between Asa and Erik with Sky and Luka's arms around them.

"Luka, you're squeezing me pretty tightly," Erik coughed.

"I'm sorry, Erik, but you're so adorable and cuddly," Luka said.

"Get off!"

"Never, you're so cute, I just want to eat you up."

"Get off me, you pervert!"

"Aw, that's so sweet," Sky cooed.

"Asa, help me!" Erik whimpered.

"No, I'm not getting on Luka's bad side again since the time I took a picture of him in drag," Asa cackled at the memory "Ow!"

"We agreed to never speak of that again," Luka growled.

"Sky, help me!"

"Like I said before, you two look so sweet together."

"Anne, help me!"

"My arms are trapped," Anne tried to move her limbs.

One arm was trapped in between Luka and Erik whilst the other was trapped in between Asa and Sky.

"And besides, at this angle she might hit you, my adorable little Erik," Luka snickered.

"Timber, help me!"

"Timber, stay down," Luka commanded.

Timber whined.

"Cissnei, help me!"

Anne heard the click of a camera and Erik squeaked.

"You did not just do that!" he whimpered.

"It's so cute, it has to go on our regular customer board!" Cissnei giggled.

"Aw, Erik, you're blushing!" Asa laughed.

"That's so cute!" Cissnei squealed.

"Shut up. Alright, I guess I have no choice."

Luka let out a surprised breath as the group hug ended.

"Wow, you actually have a pretty strong push."

"No he doesn't," Sky interjected.

"No-one has a better push than you, Sky," Asa snickered.

"That's not true, there are plenty of guys that are much stronger than Sky," Luka scoffed.

"Care to put it to the test?" Sky challenged.

"Oh, you're on!"

Anne didn't know what was going on but after a few strained grunts, something hard slammed into the table, making her jump.

"Ha, I win," Sky laughed.

"Not fair, I got an arm cramp," Luka grumbled.

"Excuses, excuses," Sky sighed in disappointment.

"I'm not surprised, since you got overpowered by Erik," Asa snickered.

"Are you calling me weak?" Luka snarled.

"Well, we'll see if you can beat Erik in an arm wrestling match."

"No, no, please, I hate arm wrestling," Erik squeaked and hugged Anne tightly "Anne, save me."

"Um…what's an arm wrestling match?" Anne asked curiously.

"Here, if we place your elbow on the table like this…"

Anne felt Asa take her arm and place her elbow on the table. She felt Asa's hand slip into hers.

"Right, now you have to push with all your might against my hand and to win, you need to slam it against the table."

Anne nodded uncertainly and strained to push against Asa's hand. She barely even moved it.

"It's alright if you can't," Asa said soothingly as she kept pushing against him "I mean you are just a girl-ah!"

Anne gasped in surprise as she managed to slam Asa's hand onto the table. Luka snorted.

"Asa just got beaten by a girl!"

"No fair, Sky tickled me!"

"I did no such thing."

"But you did!"

"Excuses, excuses," Sky sighed again.

"Why you…!"

Anne lowered her head when Timber pushed his wet nose against her knee.

"Time to go home," she said.

"What, is it six already?" Erik sounded surprised.

"Sheesh, time flies," Sky muttered.

"Ah! I'm going to be late for my audition! Sorry for the low tip, Cissnei, I need the extra money to take a taxi!"

"Oh, bye, Luka!" Anne heard Cissnei call.

Anne heard coins fly onto the table and the door swung open then shut.

"With that speed, he might just make it if he travelled solely by foot," Asa chortled.

"What's he auditioning for?" Anne asked curiously.

"_Loveless_, it's a really big play apparently," Sky replied.

"Oh, I've read that," Erik started.

"Of course you have," Asa sighed.

"I think it's really good, I'll have to watch it if Luka wins his audition."

"You mean _when _he wins the audition," Sky corrected "Luka's a brilliant actor. They'll be mad to not let him into the chorus at least."

"Well, actors do have those days…" Asa sighed and Anne heard by the rustle of his clothes that he shrugged.

"Well if or when Luka wins the audition, I'd certainly like to go and watch it."

"I don't know, those tickets are pretty easy to sell out…" Sky hummed.

"Perhaps Luka could get us some spare tickets if he's in the cast," Anne suggested and swatted Timber's nose when he nudged her again.

"We'll see when the time comes," Erik said "Oh, I promised I'd take Zephyr to the movies in twenty minutes!"

"I'll stay to pay the drinks," Sky offered "Today is my rest day and Lucinda needs to stay at home to look after her brothers."

"Oh thanks, I need to get ready to meet Chiharu," Asa said and Anne felt and heard him shift to get up.

Erik left Anne's side and Anne let Timber help her stand and walk her out of the café.

"Bye," she called over her shoulder.

She left the café. Her arm was yanked along by Timber and she smiled.

"You must be hungry, boy!" she exclaimed "Hey, slow down a bit, would you?"

Timber just barked happily and Anne giggled.

"You can only think of your stomach, can't you?"

Timber whined, as if protesting and saying that it wasn't true. Anne giggled.

"It's because Tifa's making sausages tonight, isn't it?"

Timber barked again and Anne giggled once more. She absolutely loved Timber. He was just so big and cuddly even though he was a bit on the smelly side. But Anne loved nothing more than to delve her fingers into his fur and cuddle him. He loved the attention too, he acted like a big baby quite often. Tifa normally complained that it was because she coddled him too much. But Anne didn't mind, she loved spoiling Timber. He was her guide dog after all, she owed her life to him. He deserved to be a little bit spoiled. Tifa didn't think so though. But Anne still spoiled him regardless. He was allowed to sit with her on the sofa as she read and she let him on the bed when she went to sleep. Anne enjoyed just burying her nose into his fur, inhaling his doggy scent and just drift off to sleep, holding him.

"Wait, Anne!" she heard Erik call "Uh, can I walk you home? The cinema isn't really that far away from your block of apartments."

"Oh, sure, if you want," Anne smiled.

Timber barked happily and Erik gasped in fright.

"Oh, I forgot how loud Timber's bark was," he said softly.

"It's worse than his bite, don't worry," Anne assured him and held her spare hand out.

Erik's hand slipped into hers and they walked side by side, Timber pulling a bit less for Erik's sake. Anne squeezed Erik's hand and felt a shy smile spread across her face as she did so.

* * *

Erik felt himself blushing shyly as he and Anne joined hands. It made them look like they were one of those cute little couples but Erik just stuck with the fact to say that Anne was simply blind and Timber would need help guiding her. Nodding discretely to himself, Erik smiled. Zephyr would probably jump to a conclusion if she saw them right now but she would believe him when he would explain that Anne was blind. He heard the café door swing open and shut again and turned his head. He saw one of the customers had come out, the man with long silver hair and scary green eyes who apparently worked as a fashion designer for _Rhapsodonian Fabrics_. He swallowed and turned away. That man emitted a very eerie aura and he didn't like it. Erik probably was a scaredy-cat but he was pretty sure anyone would have noticed how creepy that man looked.

"Erik, I need to buy some tomatoes and cheese for Tifa," Anne said as they stopped by the convenience store.

She fished into her skirt pocket and pulled out some Gil bills which she pressed into his hand.

"Could you get them for me, please?"

Erik smiled down at her and pulled away.

"Alright, just wait for me here," he said.

He wandered into the convenience store, the doors making a ding sound which Timber barked at. As he wandered down the aisles, he couldn't help but glance at Anne who waited outside patiently. She was a very cute girl in appearance, he couldn't help but admire her. It was her massive dog that scared Erik away. Timber was a friendly dog, perhaps a bit too friendly when he was overexcited. Erik wondered if Timber got his name just by being so heavy and enjoying to pounce on people. That was how they managed to catch that mugger that brought them to meet Anne in the first place. Erik remembered helping Anne up and the way her eyes darted around in a panic. She looked so scared and helpless, Erik himself would have probably been worse if he was the blind guy that got mugged.

When Luka and Sky came back with an unconscious man, Timber and Anne's money they called the police and helped Anne home. Sky kept bragging about how he single-handedly defeated the mugger whilst Luka argued that they probably would have never caught up hadn't Timber had jumped onto his hind legs and fell on top of the mugger. Apparently what happened was that after the mugger kicked poor Timber off, Luka tackled him first and tried to hold him down. He then got an elbow into the face, hence the massive nosebleed he got when they returned. Sky came next and managed to render the mugger unconscious from his experience in judo. That story is still in bits and pieces now, Erik would have liked to run after them to see everything hadn't he been too scared.

It took Erik about five minutes to collect the items, pay for them and come back out. That was when he saw that scary man again, just down the street, watching Anne. No, that was crazy. He was probably staring into space thinking.

"I'm back," he said and pressed the change into Anne's hand.

"Oh, thank you," Anne smiled as she pocketed the change then held her hand out again.

Erik handed her over the shopping bag and they walked back to Anne's home together. Erik thought this was from his overactive imagination but he swore that scary man was following them. But the moment he turned his head, the man had slowed down and was looking in the window of a shop. Erik turned away and shook his head. It had to be his imagination. Especially since he was a big scaredy-cat who was afraid of his own shadow.

"Erik, you seem tense," Anne said and giggled when Erik jumped "Is something the matter?"

"No, not really," Erik glanced back at the man again "I just…read a scary book lately and it's gotten me paranoid."

"Oh, what's it about?" Anne smiled.

"It might be a bit scary for you," Erik chuckled.

"Tifa always told me that if you can't see the scary monster, it won't get you," Anne said "And I can't see anything so nothing can get me."

Erik paused and shrugged.

"OK, well it's about this creature that lives in the sewers of this city during the daytime," he described "It can change into any shape and form so it can scare its victims to paralysis then kills them."

"You're right, that is scary," Anne admitted "But if I can't see it, it won't scare me."

"What about if it feels, smells and sounds scary?"

"Then I'm in trouble."

They shared a laugh.

"I'm trying to think up of a horror story for an older audience," Anne said.

"R-Really?" Erik stuttered "Are you sure? M-Maybe you should stick with children's stories that you normally tell at the day-care centre…"

"Scared, Erik?" Anne giggled.

"You have a very grand imagination, I'd hate to listen to a horror story dictated by you…"

"It's not that scary," Anne smiled "It's only about a teenage girl who has the ability to kill people by making eye contact with them."

"Sounds pretty scary to me…" Erik muttered.

"She is fifteen years old."

"Little teenage girl that can kill someone through eye contact, brilliant," Erik sighed.

"Red eyes and black hair."

Erik slowly turned his head to Anne who had red eyes and black hair.

"Pretends to be blind to avoid killing people."

"Sounds like…"

Anne suddenly turned her head sharply towards him, making him yell and jump away. Anne laughed as he pressed a hand to his heart.

"Don't do that, it's not nice!" he whined and Anne smirked.

"I'm sorry but I think it's a good idea," she said.

"You don't even know how scary red eyes can be," Erik sighed "Trust me, when I first met Asa, I felt intimidated."

"I know they're quite a common feature in horror stories," Anne said as she flexed her fingers and nearly losing grip of Timber's leash.

"When have you been reading horror stories?" Erik frowned.

"Since I listened to the audiobook of _Hide and Seek with Amy _a few months ago."

Erik shuddered at the title.

"Don't remind me about that book!" he whimpered.

"Why did you read it then?" Anne asked.

"Zephyr wanted me to read it, she's into that kind of thing," Erik sighed.

"You didn't have to…"

"Well I felt obliged," Erik shrugged helplessly "I really like Zephyr and I can afford to know a few things so we have more in common."

"Oh, Erik, you are so easily taken advantage of," Anne sighed.

"Trust me, when you get a boyfriend, you'll want to push yourself out of your comfort zone in order to get a bit closer to him."

"Not to the point where I'm sleeping and listening out for Amy's chant of…"

"Don't say it!"

"Nineteen, twenty! Ready or not, Amy's coming for you!" Anne put on a creepy voice and Erik froze in terror.

"I told you not to say it!" he said.

"What are you going to watch with her in the cinema anyway?" Anne frowned.

"Well…they've filmed the novel _Tag, You're It _by Vincent Valentine…" Erik muttered and Anne gasped "It's coming out tonight."

"Erik, I've listened to the audiobook he personally recorded and read the braille version, that's a horrifying book!" she exclaimed.

"I know, I know…"

"And you're planning to watch the filmed version of it with Zephyr?"

"Yes," Erik sighed in defeat "I'm really scared…"

"I'm not surprised!" Anne looked astonished "Why would you risk dying of fright for this woman?!"

"She's been looking forward to it so much," Erik said "And I just want to make her happy."

"Can't you have one date where you're not risking your health?"

"We do, we go to cafés and fun parks," Erik hummed "Though she certainly enjoys the haunted mansions."

"Erik, I'm no expert on relationships," Anne said as they stopped outside her block of apartments "But you shouldn't just sacrifice yourself for this girl. She needs to know that you like things too and she should get to know you better."

"Well…" Erik grimaced.

"You may not be the perfect macho boyfriend a lot of girls will want," Anne shrugged "But it's alright to be scared. You don't have to prove your courage by sitting through a horde of zombie children chasing their parents through some dark woods."

"I am so not looking forward to that scene…" Erik shuddered and shook his head "It's alright, Anne. I can handle it."

"Well if you insist," Anne sighed "If you don't turn up tomorrow, I'll know why."

Erik chuckled nervously as she giggled.

"Hey, could you help me up?" Anne asked timidly as Timber half-dragged her into the block "Timber can't function on the lift and I'm not confident that I'll press the right floor button."

"Well…"

He was supposed to meet up with Zephyr at the cinema in ten minutes but he could let her wait for a bit.

"Alright then."

Anne's smile widened happily as he helped her into the elevator and pressed the button for her floor.

"You'd think a guide dog would be capable to work with elevators," he muttered under his breath.

Timber whimpered. Erik walked Anne to her apartment and watched her fumble with her keys, managing to get the right one in the lock.

"Anne, did you remember the tomatoes, cheese and eggs?" Tifa called from inside.

"Eggs!" Anne exclaimed as Timber pulled her in.

"Oh, that's alright, I can go back and get some," Erik offered as Tifa came into the sitting room to have Timber nearly crash into her.

"Oh no, Erik, I don't want to keep you from your plans," Anne said.

"It's fine, it's not that important."

Though it was the six month anniversary of his relationship with Zephyr…

"No, don't worry about it," Tifa dismissed as she took the cheese and tomatoes "I'll get some on the way back from work. We only need eggs for the breakfast I was planning for tomorrow."

"Thank you for walking me home, Erik," Anne smiled sweetly at Erik's general direction.

"Oh, it's alright, happy to be of service," Erik smiled back.

"Nice meeting you, Erik," Tifa nodded as Erik stepped back and closed the door.

When Erik left the block of apartments, he felt a cold shiver down his spine. As he looked around, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. Hastily, he walked over to the cinema to meet with Zephyr.

* * *

"Tifa, are you tired?" Anne asked as she sat down on the sofa.

"No, I'm fine," Tifa barely managed to suppress a yawn.

"Tifa, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself," Anne said "Please, just take this day off."

"I can't," Tifa argued as she continued cooking.

"Tifa, it's alright. You work a lot of extra hours at that bar. You can take this one day off and besides, we still have the money from those donations."

"Yes but we don't know if they'll keep on coming," Tifa sighed and glanced at Anne.

"But we have enough for you to spare at least one day from work," Anne argued "Please, Tifa. I worry about you."

"And I worry about you," Tifa paused from the cooking.

She didn't want to tell Anne about how she'd been saving most of the donations rather than spending them on the bills and food and drink. It was easy, of course, Anne couldn't tell anything because of her disability. Tifa wanted to save up in case Anne would need it for the future. The money had been coming a month after they had left the orphanage. Fifty thousand Gil every month to support them on bills and other necessities. Tifa learnt how to be frugal very fast. She only dipped into the donations in emergencies, like the time she broke her arm whilst trying to break up a fight in Seventh Heaven. And even then she limited to how much she took out.

"Tifa, you're burning the sausages."

"Ah!"

Tifa quickly saved the sausages, sighing in relief when she realised they weren't too overdone.

"At least someone here is paying attention," she said.

Anne giggled and Timber yapped excitedly as Tifa dished out dinner. Tifa filled his food bowl up as Timber pulled Anne eagerly over to the dining table. He began eating happily as Anne sat down at the table and found her knife and fork.

"A group at the art university nearby has offered me two thousand Gil to be their model," Anne said as Tifa sat down next to her.

"That's cheap," Tifa frowned.

"Well, I'm not exactly a professional," Anne shrugged as she began eating "They asked for me to come into the university tomorrow. There'll be other people they've selected to model too. It's to help build portfolios they said."

"And this is Midgar's University of Art down in Sector Six?" Tifa said with a frown.

Anne nodded and Tifa hummed.

"I'll take you there tomorrow," she decided.

"OK," Anne giggled "Maybe they'll ask you to be their model too."

"Uh-huh, as long as I don't have to model nude," Tifa said as she glanced down at her breasts "Wait, you're not modelling nude are you?"

"No, they told me to just wear something pretty," Anne assured her.

Tifa let out a sigh of relief and shook her head.

"I know you won't let yourself get into dodgy situations like that but I do worry," she said.

Anne giggled again as they continued eating their meal. As Tifa washed up the dishes, Anne walked to their room by herself, knowing the geography of the apartment fairly well. She began to undress to get dressed into her nightclothes. She paused when she was undoing her cardigan, trying to locate the third.

"Oh, a button fell off today," she concluded "Oh well."

She continued undressing, leaving her clothes on the floor for Tifa to clear up later and wandered over to the chair which had her nightgown on. She fumbled a bit to get it on however and paused when she heard Tifa laugh.

"Here, let me help."

Anne felt Tifa's hands help adjust the nightgown and put it on properly. She then turned her around to plat her hair for the night.

"I may be home quite late so I'm sorry if I wake you up in the middle of the night," she said.

"OK, Tifa," Anne nodded and turned when she had finished platting "I still wish you'd take a night off once in a while."

Tifa smiled down at her before hugging her tightly.

"I love you, Anne."

"I love you too, Tifa," Anne hugged Tifa back.

Tifa held her tighter. Anne was all she had left. If something suddenly happened to Anne then… Tifa closed her eyes and bared a grin.

"I'm off now, so take care," she pulled away, grateful that Anne couldn't see her tears.

"Bye, Tifa," Anne smiled "Be careful."

"I always am," Tifa backed out of the room and grabbed her keys and wallet "Bye!"

Tifa closed the door and pressed her back against it. She sobbed softly and rubbed her eyes. She had to admit it, it was getting hard to work and handle having to see her poor baby sister struggle with being blind. The fact that she would never be able to see the beautiful colours of the world or be able to know the world around her properly pained Tifa. She always worked hard, wanting to get into science to find a cure to a blindness like Anne had. All her hopes were shattered when their parents died and they had to move school and move to the orphanage. It was a struggle to live there from the children bullying Anne to the people that would come to adopt them. If someone wanted to adopt Anne, Tifa would have let them go for Anne to be happy but Anne didn't want to be separated from her. And if someone wanted to adopt Tifa, Tifa refused to leave her baby sister behind to get bullied. Tifa did get her qualifications at the mediocre school she was moved to, to get into a university but she simply didn't have enough time and money to be able to afford to go and provide for Anne at the same time. She would probably be able to scrape by if she used the money that their anonymous donor gave them and took out a student loan as well but she didn't want to be so selfish. Everything she ever did was for Anne's sake. Anne might say differently but she wouldn't know any better. She didn't understand anything about the real world.

An engine revving was heard and Tifa leaned over the balcony to see Cloud had arrived. She smiled bashfully before running down to greet him.

"Ready for work?" Cloud smiled as he pushed his goggles up when she arrived and frowned "Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes…" Tifa smiled softly "It's just…a bit hard to watch Anne with her blindness is all…"

"Oh," Cloud smiled sympathetically "Don't worry about it too much."

"But it just hurts," Tifa's bottom lip wobbled "Knowing that she'll never be able to know what colours are or what I even look like!"

"Tifa…"

Cloud brought his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"She'll be OK," he soothed "She's got a great sister like you."

Tifa looked up at Cloud for a few moment before smiling and lightly punching his shoulder.

"Thanks," she sniffed and got onto his motorbike behind him, hugging him tightly.

Cloud petted her arms soothingly before pulling his goggles back onto his eyes. He revved Fenrir once before speeding through Midgar to go to Seventh Heaven. Tifa closed her eyes and let a few tears go unnoticed. Even when their parents had been alive, it felt difficult for Tifa to cope with having a sister that couldn't see. She was confused at first when she was first told the news but as she grew older, the reality hit her. Her poor baby sister won't ever be able to see the world. All the pretty colours and things that were in the world, she'd never be able to see any of them. Tifa hugged Cloud tighter at the childhood memories and buried her face into his back. They arrived at the bar quite quickly and Cloud grabbed Tifa's arm.

"I just remembered what Aerith's doctor told me earlier," he said as he pushed his goggles up "Whilst looking into treating leukaemia, he's helping out with the bionic eye treatment."

"Bionic eye treatment?" Tifa blinked at him "What's that?"

"It's where they insert a chip into the eye and that restores whatever is broken so the person can see again," Cloud explained "They've had a break through recently and they might be able to be ready to give the treatment out this year."

"Wait, so Anne might be able to see?" Tifa asked, hope blossoming inside her.

"Yes but it might be really expensive," Cloud grimaced and Tifa sighed.

"There's always a catch," she muttered "How much?"

"No less than four million Gil per eye," Cloud sighed "That's what I've heard."

"Oh, Gaia," Tifa groaned and covered her face "I couldn't possibly be able to save that much…"

They didn't even have barely a quarter of the eight million Gil they would need in savings! Tifa sighed in dismay and shook her head.

"That would be impossible for us," she whispered "We could never afford that."

Cloud tilted his head to the side as Tifa glared at the pavement and hunched his shoulders.

"Could I help save up money?" he offered.

"Oh no, Cloud, you shouldn't," Tifa shook her head "You're saving up to help Aerith through her leukaemia treatment, aren't you?"

"Well I'll work harder to try and save for both Aerith and Anne," Cloud insisted "Besides, Zack's providing most of the treatment from his newfound detective career. He might land a very big case soon and fund the rest of Aerith's treatment."

"No, Cloud, you shouldn't," Tifa shook her head "Aerith is dying but Anne isn't. Aerith is more important, you should help save her before considering us."

"But…"

"Cloud, I am happy that you wish to help us," Tifa smiled "But for now, focus on more important things."

She placed a hand on where Cloud's promise ribbon was.

"You promised her you'd help and I expect you to live up to that promise, Cloud Strife."

Cloud glanced at the ribbon on his bicep and sighed.

"Alright, but then I'm getting another ribbon to make a promise to get Anne's bionic eye treatment," he vowed "…What colour should I get?"

"It doesn't matter, she's blind," Tifa shrugged.

"Black it is then," Cloud grinned and Tifa giggled as he started his engine "I'll try to aim to pick you up at around midnight!"

"See you then!" Tifa waved the delivery boy goodbye before entering the bar for her shift.

* * *

Anne heard the door close and walked back out into the sitting room. She stood in the middle of the room, wondering whether she would like to read braille or just listen to an audiobook. She was tempted to listen to Vincent's voice after finding out that his best-selling novel had been filmed which was coming out tonight. But she remembered how macabre he sounded so decided to go for braille. She found her way to the bookshelf and began feeling for her special books in braille. She found the one she had been searching for and brought it to the sofa where she sat down. Timber jumped onto the sofa with her, laying his head in her lap as she opened her book with one hand and used the other to read. She lifted her head when she heard Cloud's motorbike and smiled softly.

"Tifa really likes this Cloud, doesn't she?" she commented and lowered her reading hand to pet Timber "I wouldn't know what he's like, I still have to meet him."

Timber let out a playful growl and licked her hand happily. Anne giggled and reached over to tickle his belly.

"You're a big baby, aren't you?" she grinned and Timber whined "My big baby, you love being called a big baby don't you?"

Timber let out another playful growl before nibbling her fingers affectionately. Anne giggled and yawned tiredly.

"Mmm…I'm sleepy already?" she whispered in surprise "I guess it's an early night for us tonight."

Timber barked excitedly and Anne felt him jump off the sofa and heard him run into the bedroom. She smiled as she placed her book down on the coffee table and got up to follow him. He let out a soft growl, indicating that he was pulling the blanket off for her to slide in. She went around to her side of the bed and slipped in, bringing the blankets over her. She heard Timber flick off the lights then land on top of her. She grunted in surprise and giggled.

"You are a very heavy dog, don't you know that?" she asked.

Timber whined and she brought her arms around him, cuddling him affectionately.

"I love you, Timber," she whispered.

Timber let out a happy growl and Anne smiled, closing her eyes to drift off to sleep.

* * *

Sephiroth panted softly as he calmed down from his euphoria. He pulled his hand away from the softening organ and opened his other hand to stare at the small pearl white button that had dropped off Anne's cardigan earlier that day. He ran his thumb over it curiously, biting his lip as he recalled how he had observed Anne undressing and unknowingly exposing her adolescent body to the world. She wouldn't have known it but she had been right next to the window when she took her clothes off. Fresh in his mind was Anne's white skin, her small breasts and the way her nipples went hard in the cool air of her apartment. Sephiroth let out a soft groan as he felt himself getting aroused once more by the mere memory.

Then later he had observed her going to bed early and that that damn dog snuggling into her arms. Oh how Sephiroth wished he could be that dog. Happily being in Anne's arms as she showered him with affection, kisses and called him pet names. She even professes her love to him. Sephiroth groaned as he imagined his angel in his arms, whispering those three words as if it was a secret into his ear. It did seem wrong to lust after an underage girl but if it was someone as beautiful as Anne, who could blame him? Sephiroth didn't care, he just wanted to have her in his arms.

He was distracted by his cell phone going off. Wiping his hand clean, Sephiroth answered it.

"Sephiroth, where are you?!" Genesis snarled from the other side "I know you're at home so come out and let me in! I need those designs!"

"I'm not at home," Sephiroth said calmly "I've got the designs with me and I'll drop them off at your office in Midgar."

"Eh? You're in Midgar at this hour? I thought you normally enjoyed an evening drink at home now."

"I'm enjoying a drink," Sephiroth said as he poured out a glass of red wine that he had ordered earlier through room service "And I'm in Midgar for inspiration."

"Oh Gaia, I hope these designs are acceptable enough to sell out," Genesis sighed exasperatedly "Honestly, sending me on a wild goose chase."

"You chose to go to my home instead of waiting at your office," Sephiroth pointed out smugly as he wandered around the room aimlessly.

"You were taking so long," Genesis whined pathetically "My employees aren't being paid to just laze around until you get your sorry ass over to the studio to submit the designs for my workers to make."

"You need me Genesis, I am your top provider," Sephiroth smirked before sipping his wine "As your models have said it themselves, no-one designs clothes like me."

"Don't act so cocky, I can easily find another designer that will gladly take your place and win the approval from all the models in Midgar," Genesis huffed "Heck, I bet if Angeal tried to be creative instead of working at the hospital twenty four seven, he'd produce better designs than you. He'd definitely bring the designs to me on time, that's for sure."

"There is no need to be so bitter," Sephiroth said in a scolding tone "Don't worry, I'll bring the designs over to your studio in ten minutes, how does that sound?"

"Nngh, I swear, one day…you should really respect your position right now, Sephiroth! You will never know what you've had until you've lost it."

"If it weren't for me, Genesis, your company wouldn't be as big as it is now."

"Tch, smart mouth."

"Angeal's working on the bionic eye treatment, isn't he?" Sephiroth said as he walked up to the window and gazed down at Anne's apartment.

"Yeah, he's absolutely thrilled, won't shut up about it," Genesis grumbled "Apparently they've had a breakthrough quite recently but you know it's kind of hard to test. Why do you ask?"

"I was merely wondering because I happen to know someone who's blind," Sephiroth shrugged "Anyway, I need to go. I promised you designs in ten minutes and wasted two of them talking to you. Goodbye."

"Wasted?! Wasted?! How dare you say that you've wasted minutes talking to me! And don't you dare hang up on me like some common-"

Sephiroth chuckled and hung up despite Genesis's rants. He went over to the bedside table to collect his designs and glanced over at the designs with Anne. He glanced at her cardigan button before closing his fingers around it and squeezing it thoughtfully.

"My beautiful Anne…"


	2. Chapter 2

Anne held Tifa's hand as she let Timber pull them along, happy to know that they were going for a walk in an unfamiliar area. Tifa squeezed her hand out of habit and Anne squeezed back, smiling softly. Anne felt really excited. She'd never been to a university before. The boys sometimes talked about going, Erik wishing to study literature and Sky wishing to study physical education. Asa was undecided and Luka always claimed that he didn't need to go to university now he had a steady career as a stage actor. Erik always told him that he may need a back-up job in case he didn't get any more offers for auditions. Not like Luka would have time to go to university with rehearsals and performances. Anne smiled softly as she remembered that memory of the conversation between the boys.

"What is the university like, Tifa?" she asked.

"I…wouldn't know, I've never been," Tifa replied "But there will be a lot of people there, make sure you don't let go of Timber or me."

"OK."

Timber barked loudly and Anne heard a chorus of screams.

"Timber, no," Tifa scolded and Timber whined.

"Oh, there you are, Anne!" Anne recognized that voice.

"Serenity," she said and let go of Tifa's hand to reach out towards Serenity.

A slim hand met hers and Anne pulled her forward, handing Timber over to Tifa. She brushed her hands over Serenity's and smiled.

"Your hands are covered in paint, aren't they?" she asked.

"Well yes, I was very eager to finish one of my paintings last night," Serenity laughed and yawned, allowing Anne to catch a whiff of her coffee breath.

"Hi, I'm Tifa, Anne's sister," Tifa introduced herself.

"Oh yes, hello," Serenity greeted "I'm Serenity, I'm so glad you could bring Anne here."

"Well it's good to go out once in a while, especially on a beautiful day like this," Tifa said and was suddenly jerked out of Timber's grip "Timber, no! Bad dog!"

Timber barked insistently and whined.

"I'm sorry, he gets overexcited in open spaces like these," Tifa said.

"Will he be alright sitting inside?" Serenity asked.

"He should be, as long as he will be able to lie in a nice sunny spot."

"That's fine."

Anne felt Tifa placed Timber's leash in her hand and squeezed her shoulder.

"I would like to stay with Anne, if that's alright," Tifa said.

"Sure, I shouldn't think we'd be too picky with that," Serenity said "As long as everyone can see Anne, she has a very unique complexion."

"Inherited from out mother," Tifa laughed and poked Anne's cheeks "She'd be cuter with freckles."

"Freckles?" Anne echoed.

"Never mind, it's a skin condition."

"Oh…"

Anne yanked Timber back when he jerked against his collar then began coughing.

"Silly dog!" Tifa giggled and Anne heard her pat Timber's side loudly "What will we do with you?"

Timber whined and Anne pulled him back to stroke his ears.

"Can we go inside now?" she asked softly.

"Oh, of course," Serenity said "This way."

Anne followed Timber and Serenity's pull whilst listening to the chatter of the crowd around them. When she began to smell oil paint, acrylic paint and clay, she could only assume that they were in the actual university building. Timber's tail tickled her legs as it wagged gleefully. Anne smiled to herself, Timber always loved exploring new places. It must be so mundane to be a guide dog, to always memorize routines so she could go to her jobs to scrape enough money for her and Tifa. Anne was happy to be able to go to a new place for Timber to explore.

"Serenity," purred a soft voice.

"Go away, Ari, I have guests," Serenity said sternly.

"Serenity, I just wanted to ask for one date," the voice purred again.

"She's not interested, pal," Tifa said stiffly.

There was another pause and footsteps walked off.

"How did you do that?" Serenity asked "I've been trying to get him to get him away from me ever since I asked for him to model for me."

"Just flex your fingers slightly, makes you look ready to punch him in the face," Tifa advised "Having a massive dog beside you adds to the effect."

Timber whined curiously.

"Who was that?" Anne asked.

"Someone I met on the street, asked for him to model for me, has been trying to take me out on a date since. He's a forensic scientist apparently."

"He looks old…" Tifa commented.

"He says he's twenty six…" Serenity sighed.

"More like forty six," Tifa snorted.

"Oh, here we are," Serenity said as Anne heard a door open.

"Anne, sit down here," Tifa said as she helped Anne onto a chair "Timber, lie down."

Anne felt the sun on her knee and heard Timber's big body flop onto the floor nearby, assuming he was lying in the sun.

"Aw, he's so cute," cooed one girl.

"Don't compliment him so much," Tifa warned "He's a spoilt little brat wanting attention twenty four seven."

Timber whimpered and Anne squeezed Tifa's hand.

"Be nice, Tifa," she said softly as she sensed her sister sit down next to her.

Tifa took a deep breath and sighed.

"OK, just stay as still as possible," Serenity instructed "If you want to get up and stretch, that is perfectly fine just as long as you return to your original position."

"Alright," Anne smiled.

"Aw, cute little doggie, pretty girl and her older sister, this is perfect!" a camp sounding voice squealed.

"You always had a brilliant eye for models, Serenity," another person said.

"Can we paint your wonderful big brother again?" a girl's voice asked "He is so handsome and he is so fit!"

"He's started working at the stables," Serenity replied as Anne heard people shuffle through their things and assumed they had began painting "And I've told you before, Daisy, he has a girlfriend."

"Stables…?" Anne said "Fit? Is his name Sky by any chance?"

"Well, yes…" Serenity sounded surprised.

"He's my friend," Anne smiled wider.

"Oh, you're the blind girl he keeps talking about!" Serenity said with a giggle.

"I didn't know you would have been his sister…" Anne murmured meekly "He doesn't shut up about you, apart from how you always attract unwanted attention."

There was a laugh throughout the room and Serenity huffed.

"Just because I broke up with Gabriel and that forensic scientist insists on having a date with me, it doesn't mean I always attract unwanted attention," she argued.

"Anne, you'll need to keep a straight face for them to be able to paint you," Tifa murmured softly.

"OK," Anne nodded before resuming her original position.

Determined to keep her position, Anne did not move a muscle throughout the hour and a half session. Even though her body ached, she refused to move. She felt Tifa get up a couple of times to stretch her limbs and ask her whether or not she wanted to do the same. Anne kept herself entertained by her stories. Such as the story with the girl of death, the one who could kill people by making eye contact with them. Anne fell into her own world where she imagined the girl being taken in by a family and she falls in love with a young man. But when he takes her bandages off and sees her eyes, he dies and she cries over his body. Her tears were blood and when they're discovered, the family think she's murdered him on purpose.

"Anne, it's OK to relax now," Serenity said, startling her out of her thoughts "We're finished."

Anne let out a sigh of relief as she immediately relaxed into her chair, enticing a couple of giggles from the other art students.

"Timber, come on, time to go," Tifa said as Anne felt her get up.

There was a soft snore in response.

"Aw, he's so cute!" came a squeal and Anne heard the click of the camera.

Anne slid out of her chair and crawled over to where Timber was lying down. She shook him awake, smiling when he sat up and nuzzled her.

"Come on, it's time to go," she said as she groped the air until she found a handful of fur to stroke.

She spluttered when a wet rough tongue went up her cheek and Tifa helped her up to her feet, using a tissue to wipe away the remnants of saliva on her cheek.

"I want to keep him," came a whine.

"Buy your own dog, we need this one," Tifa said as Anne picked up Timber's lead.

"Here you are," Serenity said and Anne heard the rustle of plastic "Four thousand Gil for your trouble. Thank you so much for your time."

"Well, money's been tight lately," Tifa said as she took Anne's hand "Thank you for giving Anne the opportunity to come here."

"Oh, it's a pleasure to help," Serenity said "I'm sure Sky would be thrilled to see the painting I've got."

"I want to meet this mysterious Sky," Tifa said "It's Sunday so we have enough free time. Where are these stables that your family owns?"

Anne waited as Serenity gave directions to Tifa to where the stables were. She began worrying what Tifa will think about Sky as she began to follow after her sister out of the university. Anne described Sky to be dedicated to sport which Tifa commented that she hoped he wasn't one of those stupid boys who only care about their physique. Anne didn't think of that of Sky, she just simply thought that he was someone who enjoyed sport.

"I've never been too fond of horses," Tifa said as they walked down the street, Timber's tail tickling Anne's legs as he happily sniffed around.

"Why is that?" Anne asked.

"Well, they're very big," Tifa replied "They can get quite aggressive too, they bite and kick pretty hard."

"Did that happen to you before?" Anne asked curiously.

"I only ever got bitten by a mare but that was because I startled her," Tifa said and squeezed Anne's hand "I was pretty young then, pretty stupid too."

"You live and learn," Anne smiled.

"Don't worry, I won't let you get too close to these horses," Tifa reassured her "I'm more worried about Timber really."

Timber whined at the sound of his name and Anne giggled. They continued to walk and chat until Anne heard and smelt horses nearby.

"Um, what does Sky look like?" Tifa asked.

There was an awkward pause and Anne swallowed.

"Don't know," she whispered.

"Oh, yes, sorry," Tifa said as she wrapped an arm around Anne "Sorry, it was out of habit, I wasn't thinking."

She let go of her.

"Stay here, I'll go and look."

Anne nodded as she heard Tifa walk off and Timber growling warily. Must be because of the horses. Anne crouched down carefully and ruffled his ears.

"Don't worry, Timber," she soothed "Just don't get too close, they'll be fine."

Timber still snarled softly.

"Anne!"

Anne perked up when she heard Sky.

"Sky," she smiled and gasped as she let Timber slip out of her grip.

Timber barked happily and Sky grunted.

"Ugh, hello to you too, Timber," he said.

"Wow, I'm impressed," Tifa said "Not a lot of people are able to take on Timber's weight."

"Not a lot of people like to take care of their physique," Sky grunted.

Anne held her hand out for Sky to take. Once she found his hand in hers, she began to feel the rough skin curiously, frowning when she felt a small scab.

"What's that from?" she asked.

"Oh, I cut myself on some glass last night," Sky replied "Lucinda wasn't happy when I stumbled and dropped the glasses I was holding."

"I thought you weren't meeting her last night?" Anne cocked her head to the side curiously.

"I decided to surprise her and pop round," Sky said "Her brothers were just going to bed when I arrived so it was all good, until I tripped that is."

Anne giggled and shook her head. She continued feeling Sky's hand curiously, recognizing that the callousness had come from his weight lifting and javelin throwing. Sky seemed to enjoy throwing the javelin very much, probably his favourite sport.

"Why don't you two stay for lunch?" Sky offered "My mother is cooking lamb stew."

"Can we, Tifa?" Anne asked.

"Well, we don't want to be an inconvenience," Tifa said.

"Oh you won't be at all," Sky said "My mother would love to see fresh faces because she hardly leaves the house."

"Please, Tifa," Anne said "It would be nice to have someone else cook for you for a change."

Tifa sighed.

"Oh well, when you plead like that, I can't refuse," she said in defeat.

"Timber can go into the garden, it's spacious enough for him to run around in," Sky said and Timber barked happily.

Tifa sighed again and Anne smiled happily when Sky lead her away.

* * *

"This stew is absolutely brilliant, Mrs Miura," Tifa smiled brightly as she and Anne ate together in front of Sky and his mother.

"Why thank you, Tifa," the middle-aged woman smiled happily "Please, call me Zenna. Mrs Miura is far too formal."

"Alright, Zenna," Tifa nodded.

"It is nice to finally meet you, Anne," Zenna turned to the blind girl who was carefully lowering the spoon into the bowl and holding it up to contain the spoonful "Sky never stops talking about you amongst his sport and Lucinda."

"Does he?" Anne said as she focused on bringing the spoon closer to her and put it in her mouth "He likes to talk about you and Serenity too."

"Well he's just like his father," Zenna simpered and pinched Sky's cheek "A ladies' man ever since he was born."

"Mom, cut it out," Sky groaned and batted her hand away.

Tifa smiled wistfully as she stirred the stew thoughtfully before eating another spoonful.

"So, Sky, you're taking a gap year?" she said as she glanced at Sky.

"Well yeah, because I didn't do well in my final exams," Sky grimaced "I'm not sure yet what I'd like to do later on in life. I would fancy taking a career that involves a lot of physical work though."

"I've been telling him ever since he left school that he'd make a fine policeman like his grandfather," Zenna said as she finished off her stew.

"I don't want to be a policeman, it's dangerous," Sky argued "Remember what you told me about how he died?"

"He died honourably," Zenna said dismissively "But I don't expect you do get into something seriously dangerous before I have grandchildren, alright?"

Sky choked on his stew softly as he envisioned Lucinda with his children.

"Alright…" he coughed as he used his napkin to wipe his mouth.

"I think you'd make a good policeman, Sky," Anne smiled as her blank eyes turned towards him but missed him by a few inches "You were really good at tackling that mugger that attacked me."

"Yeah but Luka and Timber helped," Sky muttered.

Well, he did most of the work. Timber bit him but was shoved away then Luka jumped onto his back. When Luka was thrown off, Sky just happened to be in the perfect position to punch him in the nose and kick him in the groin. Then Timber jumped and flattened the man when he was still recovering. Luka called the police then helped Sky drag him back to the road where Erik and Asa were checking on Anne. Sky remembered the shock he felt when he realised that not only was she fourteen years old but she was also blind. It made him sick to think someone would dare target such a vulnerable person. Sky glanced at Anne and smiled to himself. It was a good thing that they had been there at the time of the mugging. Otherwise, who knew what could have happened next?

"You know, I have a friend that works in the police department," Tifa said "Perhaps I could convince him to let you do a bit of work experience before you consider your options?"

"Oh that would be brilliant!" Zenna said brightly "What do you say, Sky?"

Sky's eyes shifted from his mother to Tifa and he hummed.

"I'll…think about it," he smiled politely.

"Oh it would be wonderful if you could convince your friend," Zenna smiled happily.

"Well, thank you for this delicious meal," Tifa said as she finished off her stew "It's the least I could do."

"Oh nonsense," Zenna said as Anne and Sky finished their stew "It is very generous of you."

"Well, I do enjoy helping out," Tifa shrugged "My friend is a detective so you'd probably be doing some office work or going over to help with minor cases."

"That sounds interesting," Sky tilted his head curiously.

"Sky's grandfather was a regular policeman on duty around his area," Zenna said "He joined shortly after the Wutai War."

"Oh, our grandfather just retired after the Wutai War," Tifa said "He suffered from post-traumatic disorder so it would have been best for him to stay at home rather than going back to his old job as an accountant."

"Oh, my father had no guilt in him whatsoever," Zenna sighed and shook her head "Personally, I think he was unhinged from the war but kept it to himself. And then he died of…"

"Mother!" Sky hissed before turning to the girls "He got shot. He got shot and died."

"Yep, thirty bullets in the chest," Zenna sighed wistfully.

"Mother!" Sky hissed again as Tifa and Anne paled.

"Oh yes, he uncovered this drug dealing gang you see," Zenna continued talking "But did he wait for back-up? No, he just charged in there guns blazing."

"Mother, that's enough, they don't need to hear all the details," Sky said.

"Why, are you ashamed of your grandfather?" Zenna frowned.

"Hey, may I have the recipe to your stew?" Tifa changed the subject quickly "It is certainly delicious and I would like to try making it."

"Why, how about I go and give you the leftovers?" Zenna's frown turned into a grin quite smoothly in a flash.

"Oh, I couldn't," Tifa smiled softly.

"No, really, I always cook too much, it would do Mr Miura some good to eat a bit less anyway," Zenna said dismissively as she gathered the plates up.

"One would think you're trying to fatten him up and eat him yourself," Sky muttered softly.

"What was that now, Sky?" Zenna turned to him with a dangerous gleam in her eye.

"Nothing!" Sky said with a charming smile.

"Now that's what I thought," Zenna nodded sternly.

"Anne, have you ever ridden a horse before?" Sky asked.

"No, I haven't," Anne replied.

"Well how about I give you a little ride before you go?" Sky grinned.

"Oh, Sky, please…" Tifa said and shifted uncomfortably.

"It'll be fine," Sky assured her "Lightning is as tame as a kitten with me around."

"Kittens have claws," Tifa said warily.

"As a puppy."

"Puppies bite."

"As a rabbit."

"Rabbits are scary and I don't trust them."

"As Timber."

Tifa raised a sceptical eyebrow and Zenna simpered.

"It'll be fine," she assured her "Sky has a way with horses, you'd think he's part horse himself."

"It's just Lightning," Sky said modestly as he got up and took Anne's hand "Come on, I'll help you put on the riding gear and I'll walk you up and down the pasture."

"OK!" Anne smiled brightly as she carefully stood up and walked with Sky outside.

* * *

Anne gripped onto the reins as she felt Lightning walk with Sky next to them.

"It feels so strange," she said "And people do this as a hobby?"

"Yes, it's a very calm and peaceful activity normally," Sky replied "Depending on how moody their horse is."

Lightning snorted.

"Is there a sport around this as well?"

"Yep, horse racing but I'm a bit tall to be a jockey."

"Horse racing?" Anne frowned "People get onto horses and race like that?"

"Yes, it's fairly popular," Sky explained as they paused, Anne faintly hearing the traffic of Midgar nearby "Jockeys, which is the profession of being a horse racer, tend to be short because apparently they have a better advantage."

"Why is that?" Anne asked curiously.

"Less weight for the horse to carry," Sky said "With me as a rider, I'd be pretty heavy with all my muscle and my height."

"Oh, I see," Anne nodded in understanding.

"It's a very dangerous sport, however," Sky sounded a bit grim.

"How?" Anne asked with a worried frown.

"Well, the big races have hurdles and bushes, et cetera, for horses to jump over. Some horses don't make it, some of them get injured from it and some get injured so much that they need to be put down."

"That's horrible!" Anne exclaimed and Lightning snorted in agreement.

"These things do happen but people do enjoy it a lot," Sky murmured "I mean the other month when my leg got broken in rugby, not a lot of people cared."

"I suppose…" Anne frowned "Sports are so violent."

"Hey, it's a chance to show off my masculinity."

Anne and Sky shared a soft laugh and Lightning neighed happily.

"Anne, am I good enough boyfriend to Lucinda?" he asked.

"I…wouldn't know," the question had caught the teenager off guard "You're a very nice person and I wouldn't mind to have a boyfriend like you. Though it wouldn't kill to talk about a topic other than sports and family."

Sky chuckled and sighed again.

"She says I attract unwanted attention," he said "I don't understand why she thinks that."

"I wouldn't know," Anne grimaced "Wait, people say that Serenity attracts unwanted attention too…"

"Well yeah, she's really pretty and looks vulnerable so a lot of guys flirt with her," Sky said.

"Are you sure you're not attracting some attention from other girls?" Anne asked "Or maybe girls have been flirting with you but you don't notice it?"

"Uh yeah, I'm pretty sure I'd know if a girl was flirting with me, Anne," Sky laughed.

"Like the time that a girl came up to us and asked for your number?" Anne asked curiously with the tilt of her head.

"That's not flirting," Sky said.

"But the gesture itself means that she wants to get together with you," Anne said "Isn't that a form of flirting?"

"Well no…" Sky said.

"I wouldn't know, ask the other boys about it," Anne shrugged.

"Alright then," Sky murmured "Let's go back. Do you have anything on this afternoon?"

"I'm just going to go home with Tifa to read peacefully then walk Timber and meet up with you boys at the normal time," Anne said.

"Sounds like fun," Sky said as Lightning began to move again.

"Sky?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't be so insecure about being Lucinda's boyfriend," Anne said "I'm sure she loves you the way you are. Perhaps if you sit down with her sometime and talk, you can smooth a few things out."

"Thanks…" Sky said "I'll do that tonight."

Anne smiled warmly in his general direction. She felt Lightning stop after a while and Sky's hands on her hips, lifting her down. She heard him speak softly to Lightning and gasped as Sky raised her hand and place it on something smooth and cool.

"Just stroke her like this," Sky said as he guided Anne's hand up and down "She likes that."

Lightning snorted.

"Oh grow up," Sky sighed and Anne giggled.

"Can you really understand her?" she asked.

"I can guess what she's thinking from her general mood," Sky said "She doesn't like other girls or children."

"Maybe she flirts with you too," Anne giggled.

"Now you're just being ridiculous."

Anne giggled more as Sky tussled her hair as she continued stroking Lightning. She froze up when she heard barking in the distance.

"Timber?" Anne whispered.

"Anne, get away!"

Anne gasped as she was pushed aside and Lightning let out a terrible whinny.

"Timber, come back here!" Tifa called out.

"Ow!" Sky whined.

Lightning snorted and went calm all of a sudden as footsteps rushed towards them.

"Oh my goodness, you're bleeding!" Tifa exclaimed.

"It's just a mild bite," Sky said.

"I was talking about your foot! What happened?!"

Anne looked around helplessly, worried and wondering what had happened too.

"Well Timber startled Lightning who in turn startled him then she bit and stamped on me," Sky explained "I manage to get Anne out of her range."

Anne's face was met by a big wet nose and a happy tongue. Lightning snorted and Timber whined, coming behind Anne.

"Huh, not so tough now when you've met your match," Tifa said and Anne recognized her sister's hands helping her up onto her feet "Should we get you to hospital?"

"No, my mom should have some bandages in the house," Sky said.

"Oh, let me help you over, your foot looks awful!"

"It's fine, really," Sky assured her as Anne felt Tifa give her Timber's lead.

"No, it's not," Tifa said firmly as she guided Anne forward "Anne, stay here and make sure he doesn't startle any more horses."

"Alright," Anne nodded.

"Ow, I said it's fine, Tifa," Sky said as she heard them walk away from them.

"You boys always say that something is fine when really it isn't!"

"But it is fine…"

"No, it's not!"

Anne smiled thoughtfully as she bent down to comfort Timber. She was happy that they were getting along alright. Lightning snorted in the distance and Timber whined again.

"It's alright, Timber," she said to him "Just don't go near her and she won't hurt you."

Timber nuzzled her, still whimpering and whining.

"Well, he sure loves to act tough," Tifa sighed as Anne heard her come over "He still says that he will be able to meet you this afternoon but he's got a pretty bad limp."

"Well, Sky will never quit once he's set his mind to something," Anne smiled.

"Hn, just like two other boys I know," Tifa sighed.

"Cloud is like that?" Anne said curiously.

"Yep, he's set on saving money up for Aerith, you know I told you about her?"

"Oh yes," Anne grimaced as Timber pulled her along with Tifa holding her hand "Well that's nice of him."

"Yeah…"

Tifa went silent and Anne didn't attempt to make any conversation for the rest of the way home.

* * *

"Wow, you really improved our fantasy collection compared to the designs last night," Genesis smiled up at Sephiroth who was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes "I mean what were you thinking? Frills are so last season."

"Forgive me, Genesis, I forgot how picky you were," Sephiroth muttered sleepily "It's better for me to design without any limitations, remember?"

"But it wouldn't kill you to do a little bit of research before you put that pencil on your paper," Genesis said as he lay out the papers before him.

"It's too much unnecessary work," Sephiroth argued.

"Oh grow up," Genesis rolled his eyes and glanced at the designs again "You certainly went overboard with the ribbons for the collection…"

"I can always take a few away," Sephiroth offered.

"Hn, maybe one or two," Genesis hummed "I just can't help get over this feeling that these designs are a little…childish, you're such a paedophile."

"Shut up," Sephiroth muttered as he sipped his coffee.

"Are you like stalking some poor girl and imagining these frilly and cute dresses on her?"

"Very funny," Sephiroth glared at his smirking friend.

Oh, if Genesis only knew. The designs he ever gave to Genesis were based on plain mannequins once he'd finished them on Anne's model. It would just be so unprofessional and suspicious if he gave the Anne versions of the clothes.

"Well, we're still in the middle of the summer," Genesis sighed as he lowered the temperature on his air conditioning a little bit "We're having such awful heat waves. Could you consider drawing up a summer collection? No ribbons or frills mind you."

But Anne looked so adorable in ribbons and frills. Sephiroth sighed softly. Then again, he could use tassels for this summer collection.

"I'll consider it, the local theatre that's running Loveless has asked for an entry from me regarding the main character's costumes."

"Oh you lucky bastard!" Genesis exclaimed as he whirled around to look up at Sephiroth "You'd better give your all into those costumes, Sephiroth! I already have a ticket to the first showing with the new cast."

"Of course you do," Sephiroth sighed as he took another sip of coffee.

"Oh I'm so jealous now!" Genesis huffed.

"It's only a job offer, I submit a design then either get accepted or rejected," Sephiroth shrugged "If it's accepted, I work on the other costumes."

"You must show me those designs before submitting them!" Genesis declared and Sephiroth sighed tiredly.

"I promise I will," he said.

Genesis then continued to natter on about his favourite play as Sephiroth zoned out slowly, his mind slowly filling with Anne posing to be the main character of Loveless. He smiled to himself as he leaned against the wall behind him. Even though she may be miles away from him, Sephiroth could picture her perfectly. And now that Genesis has asked for a summer collection, he was in a better mood than before. The summer collection was a personal favourite because he could draw Anne in the cutest and simplest outfits that would allow for her to expose parts of her body, such as her limbs and torso and he could simply just daydream all the time, yearning to be able to feel her skin and wonder which parts of her body would be most sensitive to touch. Sephiroth coughed and shook his head.

"As wonderful as this is, Genesis," he interrupted Genesis's rambles "I need to take a break after you've overworked me so hard."

"The only reason I overworked you is because you failed to do your research!" Genesis scowled "I should get you a _Stripes and Polka Dots _subscription, they always have what's new and what you shouldn't be found dead in."

"I don't get that magazine because I don't need to see the reviews for my designs," Sephiroth sighed.

"Oh suck it up, I don't praise you like these journalists do," Genesis drawled as he snatched a magazine from out of his draw and slammed it into his chest.

Sephiroth grunted as he took the magazine and glanced at the cover. He glared at the blonde model that was posing with a crop top and maxi skirt which he designed for Anne. Well, it wasn't the original design, he can reserve that version for Anne herself. Sephiroth paused briefly in thought. When exactly was he going to take her away from that miserable life with her sister and those boys? Yes, Sephiroth had contemplated many times to take his precious angel away and into his care. But the time never came up. He was thinking about waiting until she was of legal age to take her away or perhaps take her now and nurture her until the time came. Sephiroth favoured the idea of taking her away now more as so many perfect opportunities had already slipped by. But when? He had his hands full with jobs…

"And then there's _Shinra Styles _who totally lack style, I'll tell you now," Genesis rambled on about this magazine in his hands "And don't get me started on _Crescent's Looks_, she may look pretty but Lucrecia just can't compete with our fashions, especially since we've had you on our team since forever."

"Yes, interesting," Sephiroth said as he lowered the magazine "Goodbye."

"Hey, wait, I haven't fin-!"

Sephiroth swiftly slammed the door to Genesis's office before heading towards the lift. Fiona gave him an icy glare when the doors opened and she stalked out, brushing past him. Sephiroth sneered at her back as he got into the lift and pressed for the ground floor. As he descended, he leafed through the magazine purely out of curiosity. He scanned the articles quickly, noting what was in season for the summer collection Genesis assigned him. His mobile indicated that he had gotten a text and he lowered the magazine to check it.

_'I'll send you your payment to your address then?'_

Sephiroth smirked as he replied yes. He stroked the edge of his phone thoughtfully, reminding himself that the beginning of the month was tomorrow, he should be thinking about preparing the money for his angel. The excitement of visiting her apartment thrilled him and Sephiroth suddenly found himself unable to wait until Tuesday to deliver the money to the Lockhart orphans. He grinned to himself before letting it fade as the doors opened to the ground floor. He walked across the lobby, halting as he heard his name being called. He turned and smiled politely as Scarlet ran up to him.

"So, have you finished the fantasy collection?" she asked with an expectant grin.

"Yes, after Genesis decided to force me to erase a good portion of the designs and redesign them to his liking," Sephiroth replied.

"Oh good!" Scarlet clasped her hands together "I always enjoy showing off your fabulous work!"

"It is…an honour to have you modelling my designs," Sephiroth forced himself to say.

"So are you busy tonight?" Scarlet looked up at him, widening her smile if possible.

"Yes, unfortunately I am," Sephiroth said and Scarlet sighed.

"Oh you, all work and no play!" she pouted and pushed his shoulder playfully "Why don't you just take a moment to relax and not worry about anything?"

"I did not become one of the top designers in Midgar just by taking moments to relax and not worry," Sephiroth said a little stiffly as he noticed the time "Now, if you really don't mind, I'm late for an appointment."

He briskly walked out of the building and to his car he had parked outside. He discarded the magazine in his hand onto the backseat behind him before pulling out of the car park and driving off to Sector Seven.

* * *

"That mare must have some bite to have your hand bandaged up like that," Luka nodded to Sky's left hand.

Sky sighed as he turned his hand over to look at the way his mother had tied the bandages tightly over the bite Lightning had given him earlier this afternoon.

"Well, it's not that serious," he said "Though I might need to get some stitches."

"Oh, I hate stitches," Asa winced "I got bitten by a dog once and I had to have them under my eye and under my chin. It was horrible, especially when they had to be taken out."

Both Luka and Sky winced at the thought and turned to their drinks to distract themselves. It was a Sunday in the restaurant, slightly packed with customers but they somehow managed to get their own table as usual.

"Hey, do I attract unwanted attention?" Sky asked with a curious frown.

"Yes," Luka and Asa said as Erik nodded whilst reading his book.

"Wait, really?" Sky blinked.

"Yeah, seriously, look behind you," Luka nodded behind Sky.

Sky turned around and saw the group of girls nearby giggle and turn away from him abruptly.

"They might have been looking at you," Sky said as he glanced at Luka.

"You get more girls come up to you to flirt with you than Luka," Asa said.

"No I don't," Sky frowned.

"Yeah, you do," Luka and Asa said as Erik nodded whilst turning the page of his book.

Sky snorted and shook his head.

"Look, if someone came up to me a flirted with me, wouldn't I know about it?" he asked.

"You'd be the last, trust me," Luka raised an eyebrow as he picked up his green tea.

"No, no girls have ever flirted with me…"

"Here you go, Sky," Daisy, their waitress, came with a cappuccino "On the house."

"Thanks, Daisy," Sky smiled, ignorant to the flutter of her eyelashes.

She giggled and sauntered off, swaying her hips. Sky turned back to the table and was met with two odd looks, Erik's eyes still glued to his book.

"What?" he asked.

"She flirted with you!" Luka and Asa said as Erik nodded, pushing his reading glasses up his nose.

"She didn't…" Sky frowned.

"She gave you a cappuccino without you ordering it and said it was on the house!" Asa said "Then she fluttered her eyelashes at you in that flirty way. And if that wasn't enough, she swayed her hips in a suggestive manner. How can you not see that she's flirting with you?"

"Well, she's just a very nice girl…" Sky said slowly.

"She was flirting with you!" Luka and Asa said as Erik nodded, running a finger along his current page.

Sky paused and glanced over his shoulder where Daisy had retreated into the kitchen. He then glanced back at the boys.

"Wow, how much has that happened?" he asked nervously.

"All the time!" Luka and Asa said as Erik nodded, brushing some hair out of his eyes.

"How long for?"

"Since forever!"

Erik nodded before sneezing. Sky stared ahead blankly, his eyes now fully open to the flirtation around him.

"But…why?"

"You're handsome," Asa stated.

"You're charming," Luka added.

"And your physique is better than all of ours combined," Erik murmured.

Sky stared at them in disbelief before glancing at the table of girls again. They giggled again as they turned away sharply, blushes colouring their cheeks. Sky blinked as he paused to think for a minute then turned back to the boys.

"Wow, Lucinda wasn't kidding…" he muttered.

The bell rung and the boys perked up to see Anne and Timber come in. Timber yanked his owner over to them eagerly and sat under the table, wagging his tail happily. Luka and Erik shifted to let Anne scoot to her seat and Erik lowered his book down.

"Erik, how was _Tag, You're It_?" Anne asked and Erik shivered.

"Didn't sleep very well, I can tell you that," he said.

"You seriously watched that freaky horror film?" Asa said.

"Marlene Wallace stars in it as Marilyn," Luka said "Was she just as scary as when she was in _Death and Hell_?"

"Probably…scarier…" Erik whispered, looking a bit pale.

"Oh, Erik," Sky sighed and shook his head whilst drinking his cappuccino.

"I can't wait for it to come out on DVD," Anne smiled "I'd be able to watch it with the audio description. Doesn't Vincent himself cameo in it?"

"Yes, he's one of the fathers in the opening scene," Erik said "He also narrates part of the ending."

"I can't wait," Anne smiled happily "He has a very strong and emotional voice."

"Yeah, must make his wife melt just by saying one sentence," Luka said dryly.

"Hey, you never told us how your audition went," Asa said.

Luka shrugged as he stared ahead thoughtfully.

"I gave my all into it and I can only wait until next week to see if they're going to call me back or not. I'm really nervous."

"Well, you should at least get into the chorus," Sky shrugged "Either way, having the chance to perform in Loveless is going to be your big break."

"Yes, they might make a play adaption of _Tag, You're It_," Asa snickered and Erik flinched at the title "I can totally see you as Fernando."

"That paedophilic headmaster who gets caught first?" Luka raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Asa snickered loudly and yelped sharply when Luka kicked his leg.

"Luka, you're so violent," Anne commented.

"I'm not that violent," Luka said with a soft scowl "Asa just happens to be at the receiving end of my punches and kicks, especially when he insults my talent and looks."

Asa just cackled.

"Asa, one day he'll hit you with a car," Sky smirked.

"I'd like to see him try," Asa folded his arms.

"Is that a challenge, my dear Asa?" Luka's silver eyes gleamed maliciously.

"Scary," Erik whispered as he clenched onto Anne's arms.

"Ah, see? You'd be a perfect zombie! Owww!"

"Can I get you anything?" Daisy asked as she approached their table again, Asa bringing his legs up to rest on his seat, glaring at a glowering Luka.

"Iced mocha please," Anne said.

"I'll have another green tea, my dear," Luka said with a wink as he pushed his cup over before continuing to glower at Asa.

Sky noted the way Daisy sneaked him a look, giggled and took down the order before taking Luka's cup away.

"She does know that I have a girlfriend, right?" he said.

"Well no-one would be stupid enough to think you didn't have a girlfriend with the way you act and look," Asa raised an eyebrow "Either that or they might think you're gay."

"Which you look like you might be too," Luka smirked.

"I don't look gay," Sky frowned.

"You do," Luka and Asa said as Erik nodded, Anne staying still as she frowned curiously.

"Can we please stop this?!" Sky barked.

The boys laughed at the rare fury that shone in Sky's eyes.

* * *

Sephiroth licked his lips discretely as he finished the first sketch of Anne in a midriff top and shorts. He glanced over at the table where she was now, listening to Sky protest that he didn't look like a gay man. She listened to the argument go back and forth curiously, lacing her fingers together and leaning into Erik to whisper something. She giggled and shoved him lightly and Erik chuckled with her. Sephiroth glanced back at his sketchbook and turned over to a blank page, quickly and precisely drawing a blank mannequin to transfer the Anne design to.

"Here you go, sir," Cissnei arrived with his coffee "Anything else, you'd like?"

"No, thank you," Sephiroth politely smiled at her briefly before returning to his sketch.

"Um, may I ask you a question?"

Sephiroth stilled momentarily before lifting his head to look up at her.

"Where do you get your inspiration from?" she asked with the tilt of her head "_Rhapsodonian Fabrics_ are known to be a very high class company, it must take a really talented designer to be able to sell his designs to them."

"Hm," Sephiroth hummed as he fought the urge to glance over at the table where Anne was "I suppose if I see someone, I imagine them with different clothes and draw them out. My client takes a look at them and adjusts something if they don't like it."

"How did you manage to get into contact with the head of _Rhapsodian Fabrics_?"

"We've been friends since university," Sephiroth replied "He majored more in business than art though."

"That's so lucky!" Cissnei exclaimed and giggled behind her tray.

"I wouldn't say lucky, more convenient," Sephiroth sighed "He gets rather grumpy if I don't give in my designs on time. Spends most of the time criticising them too and ordering for me to change them."

"Wow, so-"

"Cissnei, table seven's order is ready!" Rude called as he pushed out a plate of pastries.

"Oh, OK!" Cissnei said with a disappointed look as she left.

Sephiroth felt his brow twitch softly. Where all the girls here so nosy? Glancing at Anne, he smiled happily before continuing the design on the plain mannequin. It didn't matter, it was worth it. So long as he could see his beautiful angel. Sephiroth flipped back to the page and stroked her picture with a soft look in his eyes.

"Soon," he promised to himself "I'm going to rescue you soon, I promise. Just hang in there a little longer, my sweet princess…my angel…"

He didn't want to wait anymore, he wanted to take her away. Five years of just remaining in the background where she couldn't acknowledge his presence…that was how long it took to finally come to the decision to finally take her. Then he would wait for another two and a half years until she was fully ready to have her virtue compromised. Rip her wings off and imprison her where no-one could find her. She would be upset at first, of course. She would be terrified to suddenly be in such foreign surroundings but she would come to accept the terms that she was in a better place now. She would be safe with him and she would know that all she could ever need was him. The memories of her friends and her sister would fade, like the memories of her parents had faded. Sephiroth closed his eyes and breathed out quietly, slowly falling into his own fantasy.

She would have her own bedroom instead of sharing one with her sister. Her own wardrobe of clothes, only the ones that Sephiroth had designed for her though. She may listen to audiobooks, read them in braille too, listen to DVDs with the audio description and record her own stories. He would take her out for walks too, out in the woods and through the fields around his home. She would love being there and he would pay Angeal to have the bionic eye treatment done to her. It would be the perfect birthday present, to give her the gift of sight. She would have to adore and love him after that, surely. Then afterwards, they can get married, start a family and they would be so happy together. Sephiroth smiled to himself as he imagined Anne in her wedding dress. She would be the most beautiful bride ever and he would be the luckiest man alive to be able to have her.

Sephiroth opened his eyes and gazed down at the sketch of her. He picked up a pencil and began sketching large angel wings on her. She was beautiful, so divine, his precious angel. And if he couldn't have her, no-one could. Sephiroth hesitated at that last thought and sat back, grimacing. He would never hurt his princess, why would he think of such a sinister thought? Sephiroth glanced back at Anne and smiled, adoration shining in his eyes. His gaze suddenly turned dark as he saw Luka reach over and tuck a strand of hair behind Anne's ear.

"Don't touch her," he muttered softly.

It wasn't long before his mind began filling with fantasies of killing Luka, along with Asa perhaps. Sky and Erik, he might mildly torture them, perhaps scare Erik to death. Yes, that would be easy to get away with, no-one could persecute him for 'accidentally' scaring a poor boy to death. Sky could possibly do with a couple of knife wounds, punches and kicks probably wouldn't do much to his physique. Asa's death seemed to be fitting if he simply just pushed him off a building. Sephiroth didn't know why, it just seemed like a good way to go for the young magician. But Luka, oh Sephiroth would love to just torture him to the brink of death the nurse him back to health to just do it all again. That cocky, arrogant brat! Sephiroth clenched his fists tightly as he imagined pouring boiling oil all over him very, very, very slowly…

"I'll stay and pay," Luka offered after a while, snapping him out of his reverie.

"Thanks, Luka," Asa said as he shuffled out of the booth "I'll pay tomorrow, OK?"

"You'd better," Luka smirked as Timber led Anne out of the café.

Sephiroth nodded for the bill as he gathered up his sketchpad, pencils and pens.

* * *

"Let me walk you home," Sky said as he followed Anne with a slight limp.

"Are you sure?" Anne blinked up at him uncertainly "Your foot…"

"Tifa was over exaggerating, it's fine," Sky grinned as he took hold of Anne's hand.

Anne blinked and nodded.

"Well, if you insist," she said and Timber continued to pull them along the street.

Sky turned his head to look over his shoulder out of habit when the little bell to the restaurant sounded. He blinked when he saw that man that normally sat near them come out. Wasn't he the one that worked at _Rhapsodonian Fabrics_? Sky shrugged it off, he didn't care much for fashion. But still, that man gave off a scary aura. So silent, like a hunter stalking his prey. Sky shook his head. He was being ridiculous. You shouldn't judge a book by its cover anyway. Perhaps he was just a normal man who just happened to earn a living through fashion design. Sky shook his head at his paranoia.

"Apparently I do attract some unwanted attention," he said "I don't know how I didn't notice it."

"Well maybe it's a good thing," Anne shrugged "Because you don't notice it, it could mean that you only have eyes for Lucinda."

"Maybe…" Sky muttered "I guess I could try to bring it up with her tonight."

"She could jump straight to panic mode when she sees your injuries," Anne said as she ran a thumb over the bandages on Sky's hand.

"No, I shouldn't procrastinate something that she sees as an issue," Sky shook his head "I'm a man, not a wuss."

"A gay man," Anne said.

"I'm not gay nor do I look it!" Sky protested and groaned "I'm going to kill Luka, I swear…"

"Oh don't kill Luka!" Anne exclaimed "He has that very big play to perform in!"

Sky huffed in frustration and frowned.

"Fine then," he said "straight after his final performance, I will kill him."

"You might forget by then," Anne teased.

"I'll tattoo it onto my hand just to make sure!"

"But he will see."

"It will be invisible ink."

"Then how will you remember?"

"My hand will really hurt and that would remind me that I need to kill Luka for calling me gay."

Anne giggled and shook her head.

"You're so sensitive, no wonder they think you're gay."

"I'm not gay," Sky growled and looked away "If I was, I wouldn't be going out with Lucinda then, would I?"

"No, I suppose not."

Anne giggled as Timber dragged them around the corner and eagerly down to the block of apartments.

"Would you like to come up and see Tifa?" Anne offered "You won't need to go up any stairs, just come into the lift with me."

"OK, sure," Sky smiled.

Out of the corner of his eye, he swore he saw that man from before. But when he turned his head he saw no-one. Shrugging, he walked into the building with Anne to take the lift up to her floor. Timber whined and raised a paw to scratch at the buttons, making a loud scraping sound.

"Timber, no, that's not good for the lift," Anne scolded and Timber whined.

"He hasn't been trained to take lifts then," Sky said and Timber whimpered, rubbing his paws against the metal floor.

"No but it's alright, I normally ask someone to help me," Anne shrugged.

"You trust a lot of people easily," Sky raised an eyebrow at her "You be careful, someone might take advantage on you."

"Timber's my bodyguard, remember?" Anne giggled as Timber dragged her out of the lift once it arrived at her floor.

Sky followed her as Timber stuck his nose to the door of their apartment, tail wagging happily and tongue lolling out as Anne fiddled with her key and managed to get into the apartment.

"Sky's here," Anne called.

"Sky, you go back home right now and get some rest!" Tifa bellowed and Sky jumped.

"It's not that bad…" Sky murmured.

"Your mother said that you need stitches! Stitches! Don't tell me that it's not that bad!"

"Tifa, calm down," Anne said "You're acting like someone else's older sister again."

"Well it sure looks like to me that he needs one to keep him in check," Tifa said as she rolled the dough out "Sky, you want to eat here? I'm making pizza."

"No, I have a date with Lucinda," Sky smiled "A night in at her place."

"Don't you work yourself too hard," Tifa smirked and Sky blushed.

"No, not like that…" he muttered shyly "Um, bye, Anne."

"Bye, Sky," Anne smiled in his general direction as he closed the door.

Sky smiled as he limped back to the lift and went down. His mind was at a calm ease until he saw that man from before walking into the hotel opposite the block of apartments. He frowned. Maybe he was being paranoid? It did seem a bit…off to see him. But how long had he been at that restaurant that he and the other meet up at normally? Sky only noticed him the other day when Elena had exclaimed rather loudly that he had worked at _Rhapsodonian Fabrics_. Maybe he just visited because it was convenient? Sky shook his head, he was being paranoid. After all, what were the chances that they had been stalked? Sky took a look at the time on his watch and began limping down the street to the bus stop. He didn't take notice of the girls sharing a cigarette nearby until one came along and tapped his shoulder.

"Excuse me," she giggled as her friends huddled around in a small bunch, watching her "But is it true that you're gay?"

Sky recognized that they were the girls from the restaurant and shook his head.

"No, I'm not. I have a girlfriend whom I love very much."

"Aw!" the girls whined in disappointment.

The next bus came and Sky didn't even bother to check if it was the right one as he got onto it hastily before they could harass him any further. As he sat in the back seat with his purchased ticket clasped tightly in his hand, he glanced back and saw the girls waving him goodbye eagerly. He sighed tiredly. Maybe it would have been better to not ask about attracting unwanted attention to the guys.

* * *

Anne was giggling delightfully, brushing her hair whilst sitting on her bed, her fingers trailing after the brush through the ebony waves. It was simply a sight to behold. Sephiroth was standing in the doorframe, watching her peacefully. His eyes watched as she pulled back another handful of hair and ran her brush through it. She was wearing a rather provocative nightgown, causing his mouth to grow dry. His angel simply looked ravishing. That nightgown was sleeveless and stopped just below her hips. Everything about her current image just screamed for him to take her, claim her and make her his. But no, Sephiroth shook his head, not now, not when she was still so innocent and naïve. She paused suddenly then smiled in his general direction.

"Is that you, Sephiroth?" she asked and Sephiroth took in a breath.

"Yes, of course, my angel," he whispered and walked forward "It's always me."

Anne giggled again as he knelt by her, fingers tracing the lace on her nightgown.

"This…this is…" he murmured.

"You said this was one you designed especially for me," she said as she reached out and found his face.

Sephiroth's eyes fluttered close at her touch and smiled.

"Yes, yes it is," he said "Only for you, no-one else."

"It feels nice," Anne placed her hairbrush down to touch the black silk.

"I only make sure you have the best," Sephiroth whispered "Only you are worthy of such pleasures and luxuries."

He lay his head on her lap and hugged her legs tightly. He smiled as she stroked his face and hair, sighing contently.

"My angel, my princess," he whispered "You're perfect, so perfect."

"Sephiroth, you're embarrassing me," Anne giggled and Sephiroth looked up at her.

"Don't be," he said "You're beautiful, wonderful, perfect…"

He ran a hand over her knee and sighed.

"And mine," he murmured darkly "Mine and no-one else's."

"Yours," Anne echoed as her petite hand came and caressed his cheek "Always yours. Never Erik's. Never Sky's. Never Asa's. And never Luka's. Always yours for eternity."

"Yes," Sephiroth moaned softly and nuzzled her hand "Always. Now and forever."

Sephiroth leaned up from her lap and closed his eyes to meet his lips with hers…

* * *

Sephiroth woke up slowly as daylight filtered through the hotel room. He stared blearily at the window and got up with a disappointed groan. Walking over, he gazed across to where the Lockharts lived, smiling happily when he saw Tifa was dressing her sister as normal. Sephiroth leaned against the window, imagining that one day he would need to help Anne get dressed. He let out another groan, flexing his fingers with the need and want to run them across Anne's skin.

"Soon, my angel," he whispered "I promise, I'm going to take you away soon. All we need to do is wait just a little longer."

He leaned his forehead against the cool glass and smiled maliciously.

"Just wait for me," he whispered, breath condensing on the glass "And I'll take you to paradise."

He sighed dreamily, closing his eyes and calling back the memory of his wonderful dream. He would definitely need to design and create that nightgown for real for Anne and only Anne to wear in his presence.


End file.
